Is farmed puffer fish guaranteed free from TTX?
The exact mechanism of TTX production, distribution and accumulation in puffer fish is not fully understood. Although there is literature reporting that puffer fish artificially reared with non-toxic diets possess a lower TTX amount, TTX is still present in various tissues (e.g. ovary and liver) of farmed puffer fish. The Food Safety Commission (FSC) of Japan has evaluated the toxicity and the aquaculture method of farmed puffer fish. The FSC concluded that the mechanism of toxin production in puffer fish is still unknown, and conditions for farming puffer fish to reduce the toxin level have not been officially established. As such, it cannot be guaranteed that farmed puffer fish is free from TTX.